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"But you are chosen...that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."
1 Peter 2:9
Award Winning School
~ Northshore Christian Academy ~
A Seven Time National Award Winning School
This year our Principal, Holly Leach, was voted Best Principal of Western Washington by King 5's Evening Magazine 'Best of Western Washington'! This was a true honor and testiment to Holly's leadership at Northshore Christian Academy!
ACSI Exemplary School Awards
Northshore Christian Academy (NCA) has received the following Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Exemplary School Awards:
2010-2011—Curriculum-Mapping Data Based Planning for Students: NCA is providing ‘Academic Enhancement and Spiritual Enrichment' for our students through the use of collaborative curriculum data to review for gaps, redundancies, and new learning. Collected data, used as living documents to design instructional plans for all grade levels and subjects, has resulted in a curriculum that is coherent, consistent, and aligned with educational standards. NCA has streamlined curriculum documents into a Web-based curriculum-mapping program, leading to greater efficiency, and increased communication. The software is completely customizable and is designed to electronically facilitate collaboration among teachers and administrators are empowered to make complex curriculum decisions on a clearly defined continuum. All teachers enter curriculum data into customized categories such as content, skills, assessments, Biblical integration, resources, and links to lesson plans, online tools and library resources. Teachers are very pleased with the easy access, collaborative opportunities, facilitation of benchmark assessment planning, ease of editing, and search capabilities. Administrators have applied the software to identify gaps and redundancies, tracking goals and reviewing standards, accountability to the school's Board and to accreditation standards, and also as a promotional tool. An extensive variety of easy to use analytical and reporting tools were built into the program, providing valuable insight into teaching and learning. Resulting systemized analysis and revisions, and inter-grade level teamwork, has provided greater clarity and consistency of course content, with a Biblical integration component as a priority, and clear guidelines for new teachers as well. Teachers are less isolated and more aware of the content and skills taught across the entire scope and sequence, leading ultimately towards greater instructional quality and increased student achievement.
2009-2010—Teachers + Learning = Learning Students: NCA offers a comprehensive Professional Development Program that emphasizes collaborative learning. NCA seeks to enhance the traditional workshop model by utilizing God given gifts and expertise of its own staff members. This method uses 9 different avenues to enhance professional skills of our teachers. These various learning avenues provide creative ways for teachers to learn within the demanding school schedules as well as other pressing teaching responsibilities. These 9 avenues all require working with others in the learning process. They will provide ways for teachers to share their learning or discuss learning with others. The result is that learning permeates the school because teachers share and demonstrate their learning to each other through these 9 avenues. These 9 components of “Teachers + Learning = Learning Students” include: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs); Learning Teams; Teacher Strength Matrix, Observations, Videotaping peers teaching a lesson; Off-Site Conferences; On-Site Workshops using Staff Experts; Outside Speakers bringing On-Site Training and a Professional Lending Library. NCA’s professional development program results in learners whose excitement is contagious to their colleagues and their students. Passionate learners teach children to be passionate about learning. Our learning community starts with the teachers as they filter new knowledge through a biblical worldview, model creative ways to learn, apply what they learned to their classroom, and share their learning with their peers.
2008-2009 —Teaming with Parents to Train Students: NCA’s program objective is to train students for developing relationships using conflict management skills, to provide parents with a conduit for building strong relationships with their preteens and for preparing their preteens for the turbulent adolescent years, and to be proactive in addressing state mandates of health and sex education in Christian Schools. NCA builds Christian social and emotional skills in students by using three program components over five years. These components mentor parents and train students by teaching conflict management skills, addressing friendship issues, and preparing preteens for adolescence, including discussions about how to maintain sexual purity. This three part series provides students and parents with tools to build healthy and well-structured relationships. In part one, the 4th graders learn about friendships and conflict management skills. In part two, the 5th and 6th graders participate in a study called, “Preparing for Adolescence,” which the parents teach in partnership with our school. In part three, the 7th and 8th graders are equipped with strategies to cultivate healthy relationships through the SHARE (Sexuality, Health, and Relationship Education) program. As each state education department decides whether to mandate health and sex education in Christian schools, our program is in place, reflecting biblical principles and working well. Through this program, parents receive the assistance to teach their own children essential material in a biblical framework. The program equips parents so that they can teach and model God’s purpose and plan.
2007-2008—Talking School Radio Project: The goal of NCA’s campus radio station is to promote home and school communication, to maximize family awareness of and involvement in school activities, and to develop student leadership skills through a unique, innovative way of broadcasting news throughout the campus. As families arrive on campus, they tune into the NCA radio station to hear announcements and events occurring at Northshore.
2006-2007—Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences: This program was introduced to NCA’s 5th grade in 2002 by one of our creative and dedicated 5th grade teachers, and now includes 6th-8th grades. Other 5th grade NCA components that make this program innovative include: Sail Away Simulation (each student is assigned a colony to research, a travel brochure to create, a display board and teach others about their colony); Night of the Notables (each student acquires the identity of a historical figure and teaches others about this person); Writer’s Café (students share their creative writing work to parents in an evening ‘café’ event); Inventions (students invent a new contraption using scientific principles with ‘stuff’ found around the house; Class Meetings (weekly meetings that are led by students to discuss class dynamics); Math Game Unit (studying the latest research in math education, new math games and activities were added to 5th grade); and Spelling Mastery Exercise (physical movement and a large floor map is used to teach challenging spelling words).
2005-2006—Navigating the World; Student and Educators Exchange: NCA students ranging from K-8th grade participated in making this multi-faceted, multi-cultural, multi-country outreach possible, this program reached Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and South Africa (1) teaching students that God uses everyone (principals teachers, parents and students) to make an impact on ministries around the world and (2) to provide training and supplies through teacher-to-teacher, administrator-to-administrator, parent-to-parent, and student-to-student connections through Christian schools and other ministries.
2004-2005—NASA Science Files: NCA partnered with NASA, Society of Women Engineers, Boeing and local scientists to provide an outstanding ‘hands-on’ science program. This program utilizes the NASA Science Files curriculum and local engineers as teachers. Since 2002, Jackie Johnson, Boeing engineer and NCA parent, initiated and led this program at NCA.
Educational Grants and Honorable Mentions
Northshore Christian Academy has received the following grants and mentions:
2011-2012: King 5 Evening Magazine’s “Best of Western Washington”—Public participants voted Mrs. Holly Leach as the 'Best Principal' of Western Washington for both public and private schools
2011-2012: Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS) Best of Washington—Presented NCA Parent & volunteer, Cyndie Bickford, the Outstanding Parent of the Year Award
2011-2012: Seattle Robotics Association awarded a grant to NCA’s 6th, 7th & 8th Robotics Team to enter the F.I.R.S.T. Lego League competition and compete with Lego Mind Storms robot. The team tied for 5th place and also received positive mention for their science research project and innovation presentation.
2010-2011: Terry Husseman, Department of Ecology Sustainable School Seed Award—Award for purchase of energy efficient hand dryers for student bathrooms
2010-2011: Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS) Best of Washington—Presented NCA Parent & Impact Program Leader, Linda Hoggarth, Parent of the Year Award
2009-2010: Terry Husseman, Department of Ecology Sustainable School Seed Award—Award for purchase of recycling receptacles for classrooms, offices and lunchrooms
2008-2009: Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS) Best of Washington—Presented NCA Parent & NCA School Nurse, Marcia Alexander, Parent of the Year Award
2008-2009: Intermec Foundation, K-12 Education Support Program (two awards) for our Classroom Technology Project: digital projectors, document cameras, computers and Promethean Boards for 32 classrooms (K-8th Grade)
2006-2007: Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS) Best of Washington—Presented NCA Parent & Program Leader of NASA Science Files Program, Jackie Johnson, Parent of the Year Award
2005-2006: Intermec Foundation, K-12 Education Support Program
2005-2006: Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Career Guidance Media Award
2004-2005: UNOVA Foundation, K-12 Education Support Program
NCA’s Matching Gift Program — Companies which support NCA through matching gift funds include, but are not limited to: The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Safeco, Fluke, and Real Network
ACSI’s National Exemplary School Award - Defined
Northshore Christian Academy is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). As a member school, NCA is eligible to apply for ACSI?s National Exemplary School Award each year.
A team of experienced Christian school educators at ACSI Headquarters makes the exemplary school program selections. Each program undergoes a rubric-based assessment. The following criteria guide the assessments:
Unique, Innovative, Cutting-Edge—The program is different from what a school typically does. The program reflects innovation on the part of a school to go beyond the usual and customary in order to better serve its constituency. The program represents a new and often radically different forward-thinking approach to the issue being addressed.
Extraordinary—The program represents a paradigm shift in thinking and reflects an uncommon approach to the area addressed or affected. The program reaches above and beyond the norm.
Measurable, Impactful—The results of the program can be “quantifiably” or qualitatively measured for effectiveness in meeting the program objective. The program significantly and measurably affects the lives of those who are carrying out the program or those whom the program targets.
Transferable—Others could implement the program in their schools by making minimal or no adjustments.
Involvement—The program involves, or provides opportunity for involvement of, a high percentage of the students in a school. The involvement may also include a school’s local community.
Community—The program engenders a strong sense of identity and togetherness in a school or in an extended school family.
Northshore Christian Academy exists as a partner with families to provide a superior Christian education, which includes developing spiritual, academic and personal excellence in a Christ-centered environment.
Calendar at a Glance
Full Calendar